Martin Berger (musician)

Martin Anton Berger (born February 29, 1972, in Wadern) is a German conductor, choral director, organist, music educator, musicologist and university professor.

Martin Berger
Born	(1972-02-29) 29 February 1972 Wadern, Germany
Education	Hochschule für Musik Saar Robert Schumann Hochschule
Occupations	conductor Academic teacher
Organizations	Stellenbosch University Robert Schumann Hochschule
Website	www.rsh-duesseldorf.de/musikhochschule/personen/profil/420-prof-dr-martin-berger/

Biography

Berger grew up in Merzig and studied sacred music, music education and German studies at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Saarbrücken and at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, as well as conducting with an emphasis on choral conducting. Study trips and artistic projects have taken him to Sweden, among other places. He received formative impulses for his artistic work from Raimund Wippermann, Eric Ericson, Anders Eby, and Gary Graden. From November 2002 to March 2013, he was music director at Würzburg Cathedral, where he was in charge of the Domchor, the Domsingknaben, the Mädchenkantorei, and the Kammerchor. In 2007, he won the Gold Diploma at the Second Malta International Choir Competition Festival of Sacred and Secular Music in Valletta, Malta with the Würzburg Cathedral Kammerchor; the following year, he won the Gold Diploma and the Franz Schubert Choir Prize at the 25th International Franz Schubert Choir Competition & Festival 2008 in Vienna.

From 2004 to 2008, Berger was a lecturer at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg. He also accepted guest lectureships at Stellenbosch University and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. From July 2008 to March 2013, he was a professor of choral education at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf.

In April 2013, Berger moved to Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where he became head of the choral conducting and early music units. In 2014, he founded the Stellenbosch University Chamber Choir, with which he won the prestigious “Woordtrofee” for best classical music production in 2015. Since 2019, in addition to his work at Stellenbosch University, he has been professor of choral conducting at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. In 2020, Martin Berger received his doctorate from Stellenbosch University with a dissertation on the sacred works of Wilfried Hiller.

Berger has performed in most European countries, the United States, Australia, and South Africa. Invitations to masterclasses, competition juries and paper presentations at international conferences have taken him throughout Europe, to Mozambique, China and South Africa.

Martin Berger is Vice President of the World Youth and Childrens Choral Artists Association (WCCAA).

Publications

Dissertation

• Martin Anton Berger (2020). Wilfried Hillers geistliche Werke. Dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Musicology) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University (available as PDF download: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/26422f61-d652-453d-b2d2-830ef445c11c).

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

• Martin Berger (2022). Juliet Hess. Music education for social change. Constructing an activist music education (book review). Philosophy of Music Education Review 30, no. 2: 207–212.
• Martin Berger (2020). Community Music in Südafrika. Diskussion Musikpädagogik 87, no. 3: 22–26.
• Martin Berger (2015). Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika – Südafrika 20 Jahre nach Ende der Apartheid. Lehrer und Schule heute 66, no. 5: 94–97.
• Christian Albrecht and Martin Berger (2013). Todesnachrichten – Siegfried Koesler (1937–2012), Domkapellmeister in Würzburg von 1971–2002. Musik und Liturgie 138, no. 1: 49.
• Martin Berger (2010). Architektur des Klanges – Die neuen Räume der Würzburger Dommusik. In: Jürgen Lenssen (ed.). Architektur der Gegenwart in der Diözese Würzburg, 44–45. Würzburg: Bau- und Kunstreferat der Diözese.

Music Scores

• Oliver Sperling, Martin Berger, Thomas Kiefer, Frank Leenen, Judith Schnell, and Gabriele Sichler-Karle (eds.) (2011). Chorbuch Pueri Cantores III: Singen von Gottes Wegen. Stuttgart: Carus.
• Thomas Gabriel and Martin Berger (2006). "Cantemus in viis Domini" for solo voice, choir SATB, oboe, soprano saxophone, bassoon, trumpet in C, trombone, timpani, vibraphone, two violins, viola, violoncello, double bass and percussion ensemble. Stuttgart: Carus.
• Richard Strauß-König and Martin Berger (2002). "Zeige uns den Weg" for choir SATB and piano. In: Deutsches Liturgisches Institut (ed.). Unterwegs – Chorbuch, 38–41. Munich: Strube.
• Peter Janssens and Martin Berger (2002). "Mit Maria preist den Herren" for choir SATB and piano. In: Deutsches Liturgisches Institut (ed.). Unterwegs – Chorbuch, 86–91. Munich: Strube.
• Kathi Stimmer-Salzeder, Andreas Reuß, and Martin Berger. "Wenn wir unsre Gaben bringen" for choir SATB and piano. In: Deutsches Liturgisches Institut (ed.). Unterwegs – Chorbuch, 102. Munich: Strube.

CD Recordings

• Männergesang. Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms and Carl Maria von Weber. Männerchor Schmelz (Martin Berger, conductor). 1999. 1 CD.
• Orgelmusik in St. Marien/Schmelz. Works by Nicolaus Bruhns, Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck and Louis Vierne. Organ by Hugo Mayer, Heusweiler (1999). Kassel: Guma Records, 2001. 1 CD.
• O come, let us sing. Works by Thomas Jennefelt, Egil Hovland and Moritz Hauptmann. Mädchenkantorei am Würzburger Dom (Martin Berger, conductor). Kassel: Guma Records, 2006. 1 CD.
• On wings of soul – a ceremony of carols. Works by Benjamin Britten. Eastern Cape Children's Choir, South Africa (Lionel van Zyl and Martin Berger, conductors). 2007. 1 CD.
• Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt. Works by Heinrich Schütz, William Byrd, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Max Reger, and Urmas Sisask. Würzburger Domsingknaben (Martin Berger, conductor). Kassel: Guma Records, 2008. 1 CD.
• Lobet den Herrn. Works by Albert Becker, Eric Whitacre, Cyrillus Kreek, Gustav Mahler, and Sergei Rachmaninow. Kammerchor am Würzburger Dom (Martin Berger, conductor). Kassel: Guma Records, 2012. 1 CD.

Awards

• Gold Diploma, Second Malta International Choir Competition Festival of Sacred and Secular Music 2007 in Valletta, Malta (Kammerchor am Würzburger Dom. Martin Berger, conductor).
• Gold Diploma and Franz-Schubert-Chorpreis, 25th International Franz-Schubert Choir Competition & Festival 2008 in Vienna (Kammerchor am Würzburger Dom. Martin Berger, conductor).
• Tanzender Schäfer of the City of Würzburg, for special cultural merits (2013).
• Woordtrofee 2015 (Stellenbosch University Chamber Choir. Martin Berger, conductor).

External links

• Biography on the website of the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf (in German).
• Biography on the Stellenbosch University website.